Police, Okada riders clash on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Punch)
Tension erupted on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday as an Okada rider was reportedly hit by a policeman’s bullet.
The details of the situation are still sketchy. However, an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps, who confided in our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the bike man was dragging a rifle with the policeman, who in turn, accidentally fired a shot.
“The shot hit the bike man on the leg. As a result of this, aggrieved colleagues of the rider came after the policeman, who fled to the yard of the Julius Berger beside the road.
“They went after him, stormed the place, and started destroying some things,” he said. Read more
Lagos not expecting ‘massive Bayelsa-like’ flooding, says Environment Ministry (Channels)
The Lagos State Government says it is not expecting “massive” flooding the same way it is ravaging some parts of the country like Bayelsa State.
This is according to the Permanent Secretary, Drainage Services, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, Olalekan Shodeinde.
While noting that Lagos State has put in measures to combat flooding, he said the commercial city won’t be massively impacted by such development if it happens.
“So, we are not expecting a massive Bayelsa-like or Kogi-like situation,” he said on Friday while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. Read more
Lagos was bankrupt when Tinubu took over in 1999 – Sanwo-Olu (DailyTrust)
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says as governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), revived the economy of the state from bankruptcy in 1999.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 22nd National Women’s Conference of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), Sanwo-Olu called on women in the state to mobilise support for Tinubu.
Represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, the governor said: “We are a nation of history and part of our problem as a nation is that we have forgotten our history; is that we have westernised ourselves, is that we have broken our developmental trend. How do we bring it back? We must bring it back by allowing people who have precedents to do the work. It is as simple as that.
“Look at how beautiful and impactful this conference has been. It is because everybody came together to work hard led by a very competent First Lady. So, if we want a nation where our own children and grandchildren will be happier than us, it is time to vote for a man who has done it before. Read more
Architects list solutions to flooding, seek FG’s collaboration (Vanguard)
The Society of Landscape Architects of Nigeria (SLAN) has proffered workable solutions to prevent flooding ravaging the country and called for the Federal Government collaboration.
SLAN said this in a statement signed by its President, Mr Amos Alao, on Friday in Lagos.
Alao, in the statement, said flooding could be preventable if basic architecture techniques were adopted in landscape planning and building engineering.
Alao was quoted by the statement as saying that the major aim of SLAN is to change the narrative of the adverse effect of climate change and flooding on the landscape. Read more
Jandor has ended his political career even before it took off – APC (Independent)
The Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday said it is not surprised by the cold war between the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olajide Adediran (Jandor) and the party’s stakeholders.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo said with his ungovernable attitude, Jandor has further destroyed the non-existent chances of the PDP in Lagos.
Jandor defected from the APC to PDP in January 2022 and was well received by five governors as well as the national chairman. He won the governorship primary and will fly the PDP’s flag in the 2023 governorship election.
However, some members of the PDP State Working Committee (SWC) had alleged that Jandor is running a one-man show given the manner he chose his running mate, Funke Akindele, a Nollywood actress without consulting with the party elders. Read more
Former Senate President David Mark loses son to cancer (Channels)
Former President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator David Mark, has lost his first son, Tunde Jonathan Mark.
Tunde Mark, died in a London hospital on Friday morning, after a long battle with cancer, was the first son of the former President of the Senate.
Born on the 13th of October, 1971, Tunde attended Yaba Military School, located in Yaba, Lagos where he obtained his first school leaving certificate.
He later proceeded to Bradfield College, Berkshire, UK where he attended Secondary school. Read more
2023 Polls: Bauchi Gov inaugurates campaign council, promises peaceful elections (ThisDay)
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has inaugurated the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential and Governorship joint Campaign Council with assurance to providing a level playing ground for the peaceful conduct of the forthcoming general elections in the state.
The over 600 member committee which has 31 various sub committees is to be headed by Faruq Mustapha Ahmed as the director-general.
Inaugurating the Campaign Council in the Government House in Bauchi yesterday, Mohammed argued that PDP remains the strongest and more popular political party which has the capacity of winning elective positions.
While assuring the state of the commitment to consolidate on the achievements recorded by his administration, the governor also solicited the support of all the electorate for his reelection. Read more
2023 election: Group commends INEC, urges Nigerians to collect PVCs (Guardian)
Nigeria Collabo has commended the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu for making efforts to ensure Nigerians can get their PVCs.
Nigeria Collabo, a coalition of support groups for good governance working with coalition of political parties, has launched a Nigeria Collabo Volunteer PVC Collection committee to fast track PVC collections. The coalition has 37 State Coordinators, 774 LGA Coordinators and 8,909 Ward Coordinators that are ready to provide the needed support to INEC.
National Coordinator of the coalition, Engr. John Ewa said that “Upon the data released by INEC sometime in September 2022 stating the high number of PVCs not yet collected by citizens, considering the monumental work at hand for INEC, we mobilized our LGA Coordinators to provide the needed on the ground support to voters, as we speak we have our LGA coordinators providing the needed basic assistance in queue management, crowd coordination, fatigue control and so on.” Read more
Poco Lee saves youths from police arrest (Nation)
Popular dancer, Iweh Pascal Odinaka aka Poco Lee has reportedly secured the release of a group of young men arrested by men of the Lagos State Police on the Island.
A video shared by one of the boys showed when Poco Lee intervened as the officers were about to bundle them to the station on Wednesday night.
The Imo hype man was said to have been driving by when he saw the policemen arresting the youths.
He reportedly alighted to find out what was happening. Read more
Spotify crashes as Taylor Swift’s hotly-anticipated ‘Midnights’ album launches (NYPost)
It wouldn’t be a Taylor Swift album release without a grand entrance.
The 11-time Grammy winner’s hotly-anticipated tenth studio album, “Midnights,” dropped Thursday night, but it wasn’t without its fair share of chaos.
Millions of so-called “Swifties” stayed up until midnight to hear the record, but fans were left scrambling after streaming giant Spotify crashed just as the album was released as users reported internet outage despite there being internet available.
According to Downdetector.com, Spotify saw a massive outage across the world at midnight ET — the exact time Swift’s album was released. Read more
Róisín Murphy poses with Janet Jackson and ‘begs’ to hear new album (IrishIndependent)
Irish singer Róisín Murphy (49) snapped a photo with superstar Janet Jackson (56), saying she spent the time ‘begging’ her for new music.
The Wexford star posted the pic to Twitter where fans pleaded for the pair to duet.
“Collab!” excited followers replied. Others were eager to know Janet’s response to Róisín’s question.
“Me begging Janet Jackson to make a new record,” she captioned the photo. Read more
Netflix adds “fictional” disclaimer to ‘The Crown’ season 5 trailer following backlash (Deadline)
Netflix has added a disclaimer to the description for its latest The Crown trailer following a difficult couple of weeks for the royal series.
In the YouTube description below the video for the fifth season trailer, Netflix states: “inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign” .
None of the previous trailers included this disclaimer, instead going straight into a description of the season.
The move comes after two years of lobbying from certain circles including former Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who said in late 2020 that a “health warning” should be played before episodes so viewers know the series is a work of fiction. Read more
Paul Newman: Hollywood legend was so insecure, says daughter (BBC)
“He wanted to dispel the fairy tale,” Clea Newman Soderlund says about her father Paul Newman’s decision to embark on writing a memoir.
It was 1986 and Newman had been one of the most famous movie stars in the world for three decades, starring in films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and The Hustler.
He was known for his brilliant blue eyes, boyish charm and seemingly idyllic 50-year marriage to the equally talented actress Joanne Woodward.
But not everything was what it seemed. “He wanted to dispel the perfection that things were just great,” Soderlund, the youngest of the actor’s five daughters, tells the BBC. “Nobody’s life is like that.” Read more
Ugandan ivory trader sentenced to life in prison (BBC)
A Ugandan court has sentenced an ivory trader to life in prison – the longest sentence for such crimes in the country’s history.
A new law was passed in 2019 that toughened sentences for poaching or trafficking in endangered species.
Pascal Ochiba was arrested in January this year with two pieces of ivory, weighing nearly 10kg (22lb).
The magistrate said Ochiba, as a repeat offender, deserved life in prison for the future protection of wildlife.
In passing sentence, the chief magistrate of the country’s special wildlife court, Gladys Kamasanyu, said “offences of unlawful possession of protected species are rampant and there is need to curb them”, according to a statement from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Read more
Geena Davis used advice from Dustin Hoffman to shut down Jack Nicholson’s advances (NME)
Geena Davis has shared that she used advice from Dustin Hoffman to shut down a sexual advance from Jack Nicholson.
Davis, who starred in the 1982 romantic comedy Tootsie opposite Hoffman, revealed that her former co-star gave her advice that helped her deal with the encounter.
Speaking in an interview with the The New Yorker, Davis shared that Hoffman suggested how she ward off advances from men in the industry, telling her to say: “Well, you’re very attractive. I would love to, but it would ruin the sexual tension between us.”
The Thelma And Louise star, who was a model before she became an actress, added that she “saved the advice away” before using it during her interaction with Nicholson. Read more
Burkina coup leader Traore takes office as interim president, vows to fight jihadists (France24)
Ibrahim Traore, the young army captain who led the latest coup in Burkina Faso, became interim president on Friday, vowing to win back territory from jihadists.
Traore pledged support for a transition leading to elections in July 2024 as he took the oath of office in the capital Ouagadougou under tight security.
Traore, 34, led disgruntled junior officers last month in the second coup in eight months to hit the west African country.
The motive—as in January—was anger at failures to stem a seven-year jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven nearly two million people from their homes. Read more
Nigeria’s Flamingos beat US, reach 1st-ever World Cup semi-final (Channels)
Nigeria’s Flamingos have beat the US on Friday to reach their first-ever semi-final at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes of regulation time.
Onamuzo Edafe gave Nigeria the lead just after 25 minutes. A VAR review had confirmed a foul on Amina Bello with the referee wasting no time in pointing to the spot.
The Americans pilled pressure on the Nigerians and were rewarded just before half-time. They equalized in the 40th minute through Amalia Martina Villarreal’s strike. Read more
Dejan Kulusevski suffers injury setback as Antonio Conte responds to fears of long lay-off for Tottenham star (Standard)
Antonio Conte has said Dejan Kulusevski needs “a bit of time” to return to fitness after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury last week.
Kulusevski has not played since tweaking his hamstring on international duty last month but Conte hopes to have the Swede available before the World Cup.
“His recovery was going well and then one day the situation worsened,” Conte said ahead of Sunday’s game against Newcastle. “When this type of situation happens, you have to restart. You need time.
“We have the medical department to face injuries and they have to solve the situation in a short period because if they do, it means points on the table.” Read more
Howe defends Newcastle’s winter break in Saudi Arabia (RTE)
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has defended the club’s decision to head back to Saudi Arabia for a controversial warm-weather training camp during the forthcoming break for the World Cup.
The Magpies, who travelled to Jeddah in January for similar reasons, will return to the Gulf state and its capital Riyadh between 4 and 10 December and face Pro League champions Al-Hilal in a friendly.
Confirmation of the trip will re-ignite criticism over the club’s links to the Middle East nation and its human rights record – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund holds an 80 cent stake in the consortium which bought out Mike Ashley in October last year.
Asked about those concerns, head coach Howe said: “We’ve made a football decision. We’ve looked at the World Cup break, what’s the best thing for the team. Read more
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp expects to be on bench for Forest clash despite FA charge (ESPN)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he expects to be in the dugout at Nottingham Forest on Saturday despite being charged by the English Football Association (FA) for his outburst at an assistant referee during last weekend’s win against Manchester City.
Klopp was shown a red card for confronting the official after Mohamed Salah was denied a free kick late in the second half of Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Anfield. He was given until Friday by the FA to respond to the charge.
“We just followed the normal process,” Klopp told reporters on Friday, although he did not reveal details. “In this moment I expect being on the bench tomorrow but I don’t know 100%.
“We don’t know too well the [FA disciplinary] process but we have enough people who know how it goes and we did everything we had to do.”
Cashgate Scandal: FIA criticised for leak as Toto Wolff fires new demand (F1News)
Red Bull’s rivals have been outraged in recent weeks as it was confirmed by the FIA that the team had a minor breach of last season’s budget cap.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has claimed that even as much as $500,000 can make the difference in a championship, and with Verstappen only taking the driver’s championship on the final race, this breach could have been the deciding factor.
“We always monitor closely which parts are brought to the track by the top teams in each race, and for at least two seasons, we can see that there are two top teams that are the same and another that instead spends more,” he explained.
“So you can understand spending an extra $500,000 can make a difference.” Read more
Nick Kyrgios out of Swiss Indoors and Paris Masters as Jack Draper gets main draw spot in Basel (Tennis365)
Nick Kyrgios won’t feature at next week’s Swiss Indoors or the Paris Masters as he is yet to recover from his knee injury.
The Wimbledon finalist was last in action at the Japan Open a fortnight ago, but he withdrew from his quarter-final clash against Taylor Fritz as he admitted that he didn’t give his knee enough time to recover after the US Open.
“I’ve been playing amazing tennis all year and actually was dealing with a bit of a knee issue around the US Open time. I got back home and probably didn’t take enough time off, to be honest. I went straight back into training,” he said.
The 27-year-old was expected to make his comeback at the ATP 500 tournament in Basel as he was due to play in both the singles and doubles – teaming up with Pedro Martinez from Spain, but has withdrawn. Read more